Chapter One: Shō!
The events in this story is set approximately 685 years before the current time. Prologue A blonde man was unexpectedly showed against the wall as a Senior student forced his way trough the crowd in order to reach what had no doubt got to be an important class, others too were in a similiar state of disarray and they openly protested to this rude treatment; although the offender had long since dashed by the corner and out of hearing range. The blonde however, didn't seem to care much about this rough treatment, he could understand the need and the eagerness that boiled within the hearts of his fellow students - everyone wanted to be a hero after all; and everyone wanted to learn whatever the could while in their Academy - he knew that most of his fellow students secretly awaited the day while they could save a helpless damsel in distress from a big bad Hollow; Hiroya faintly recalled having read something similiar in a book once. Though the memory was so weathered and misty that he dismissed them as nothing more than a dream. Dismissing these thoughts Hiroya leaned down to the floor in order to pick up the notes that had been knocked out of his hands just earlier; he made sure to hide them quickly - he didn't want others to see his personal notes and scribbles on Kidō spells just yet; he knew all too well that he as a mere Academy Student was not strictly supposed to be devising new spells and questioning the stone-held beliefs that well-respected Kidō Masters had used centuries on perfecting. His latest discovery had been one of limited importance, though he had long suspected that several others had managed to accomplish much of the same. His discovery was the art of restricting spells to accomplish something much smaller than what they were supposed to be - this discovery was likely overseen due to the fact that Kidō Spells were largely meant to be as powerful as at all possible. For Hiroya's needs however it was almost an irreplacable talent to have and using a customized Kyokko spell to hide the notes from anyone other than he himself he proceeded to make his way towards the library. The Library The Academy Library was humongous, and it was divided into several floors depending on what you wanted to read - the first floor was where most normal students went to read about general subjects and the likes - second floor needed special permission and the last floor, the third floor was resserved solely for the teachers and the higher-ranking Gotei 13 officers who sometimes visited it. They were separated by twisting staircases who were enchanted trough the use of powerful Kidō spells to attempt to "throw off" any unauthorized trespassers. The great Library of the Academy was empty save for a few select students who had decided to be serious and study for the upcoming tests, it was certainly good to see that he wasn't the only one who took these things seriously. He had however not come here to study the normal humbug though - he thought as his gaze drifted upwards to the third floor, he had to resist the urge to lick his lips while he thoughts of all the delicious bits of knowledge that were stored up there. Running to the back of a particularily large bookcase, Hiroya proceeded to mumble as softly as he could "Bakudo #26 Kyokko" - the colors of his sorroundings glimmered for a moment before they began to bend around the young Shinigami. completely hiding his Spiritual Signature and making him invisible - He knew that the Kidō Teacher would have congratulated him for a perfectly executed spell had he been present. Hiroya had visited the Library before in order to get an overview over the defense mechanisms of the higher floors and during this time Hiroya had made certain to appear "barely passable" in his Kidō tests - while it would indeed be of greater advantage to appear completely untalented he simply couldn't bear the thought at all, he had some pride at least. Walking towards the first staircase that lead up to the second section Hiroya stopped briefly before taking the first step up the stairs; the stairs made no movements whatsoever which confirmed Hiroya's suspicions. Kyokko was the "key" spell of sorts due to the fact that Kyokko was in fact one of the hardest Bakudo Spells even among mid-level Kido, demanding great Spiritual Control, knowledge and of course the nessecary Reiryoku resserves. No Academy students of his year was supposed to be capable of casting it perfectly; and it was indeed the perfect version of it that was the key - the defense was simple yet brilliant as it allowed only those of high skill and experience to enter unsupervised. He had expected no less though, as the defenses had been constructed by none other than the Kido Corps themselves for easy access to the Library as they naturally couldn't risk being revealed while they went to get their authorization. Walking up the staircase with no problem whatsoever Hiroya arrived at the second floor, but rather than to start searching among the books there he immediately turned his gaze to the second set of stairs that lead up to the third floor. As he approached the staircase it began to twist itself around in impossible angles writhing like a snake, additionally Hiroya noticed that the entire staircase was quickly transmuted entirely into the smoothest ice, nothing could walk on it in this state, they could never hope to keep their footing long enough to traverse the entire length, they'd either slip on the ice and fall, or lose footing and fall due ot the twisting staircase; Hiroya also doubted that he knew the Key spell for this one, so there was only one thing left to do, improvise. Hiroya placed his hands at an angle before he muttered "Bakudo #4 Hainawa!" as a long golden rope of Spiritual Energy was summoned into his hands - the spell was normally meant to be used to bind ones opponent but Hiroya had managed to extent the spells duration long enough for it to be used for this purpose as well. Hiroya was by no means finished with the preparations though as he summoned forth a very reduced version of the Tenran spell which took the form of a powerful miniature whirlwind which he proceeded to direct beneath his feet, which caused him to float up some centimeters. Hiroya then proceeded to expand the energy rope to a great degree before he wrapped the energy rope around the twisting staircase as he let himself fall down to the side of the stairs in question, his feet hanging in empty air roughly twenty meters above the ground as he with great care began to creep up the staircase by pushing the rope up a few centimeters each time, the small whirlwind beneath his feet serving to cut off alot of the weight and thus make it much easier to do. Whenever the staircase churned he simply went with the flow which in addition to prevent him from falling served to push him a few additional meters forwards as well. It took some time but finally he managed to reach the third floor, where he fell to the ground immediately in exhaustion. Third Floor ﻿''The third floor was darkely lit and very silent, there were few who had been up here before, there were also much less tomes and books than on the first and second floor but Hiroya knew that these books held unspeakable secrets and great power for those who were talented enough to understand them.'' Hiroya knew exactly what he wanted to read; and he went towards his target with sure-footed steps before stopping a few feet infront of it - Hiroya assumed that anyone who attempted to remove that book from the bookcase trough conventional and mundane means would suffer an unpleasant fate. Conjuring up another weakened current of Tenran, Hiroya proceeded to direct the current at the exact book he wanted; once the spell connected, Hiroya held his breath for a few moments before he registered that nothing had happened and gently loosened the book from its shelf, before he when it began to fall swooped it up in another current and gently guided it onto a nearby table. Hiroya sat down in front of it as he began to read trough the cryptic texts, using minute currents of Tenran to turn the pages in the book, taking great care not to physically touch it. The title of the book was "Hiragashi's Codex" Hiragashi had been one of the greatest Kido Masters in history and he had been credited with creating the Forbidden Spells along with the vast majority of the other spells that were used by Shinigami today - Hiroya knew he had likely had his share of assistance but of course, the Codex would have it seem like he single-handedly discovered everything all on his own. Despite these inaccuracies the Codex was still one of the best works on Kido ever made and it was possible to learn ALOT from it; and Hiroya wouldn't give it back until he had discovered every last shred of knowledge hidden in those dusty pages, so absorbed was Hiroya in his reading that he didn't register that someone had entered the into the Third Floor was advancing on him with quick and aggressive steps. The Encounter Hiroya suddenly felt eyes upon him as he instinctively turned to his left just intime to see a figure seemingly step out of empty air to regard him; the figure wore a billowing blue robe with a golden sash, intricate markings following the lining of his robe. The mans face being concealed behind a black vizier and his remaining facial features hidden by a large cowl that left anything above the vizier shrouded in shadows. Hiroya was still in a shock as he inwardly cursed - had he been too unstealthy? Where had he miscalculated - then he understood it; the last set of stairs likely had means to detect the use of Kidō; while Hiroya cursed his own idiocy his apparent opponent did not stand idle as he had quickly, with but a few extravagant handgestures and a hurried mentioning of the spells name summoned forth eight kanji-like symbols composed entirely of water that floated in the air around him. The newcomer then made a clawing motion with his hand towards Hiroya's location; as Hiroya felt his Kyokko-shroud being forcibly removed trough unknown means, although Hiroya knew it was likely some form of secret Kidō taught only to members of the Kido Corps. Hiroya recognized the spell almost instantly, it was a mid-level Bakudo spell known as Ekitai Kinko which was designed to be employed in sneak-attacks and ambushes or simply to hex someone in preparation to a decisive event or battle; notorious for its delayed affects which served to lull the opponent into a false sense of security, only to strike when it was the least convenient. The adversary made a quick jerk of his hand in Hiroya's direction as six of the symbols shot out with great precision towards the intruding student - Hiroya answered to this attack by speaking loudly "Bakudo #40 Mukō!" as a thin rectangular wall was conjured in the air infront of him; three of the symbols crashing into it harmlessly; however, the barrier began to crack at the fourth symbol and thus Hiroya hastily fortified his spell with a delayed incantation "Heart of the south, eye of the north, finger of the west, foot of the east, rise now and become my shield!" the cracks vanished abruptly and the barrier easily took the remaining two shots. Hiroya smiled somewhat proudly at his work, a smile which only intensified when he saw the surprised look on what little could be seen of his assailants face. That very look faded very quickly as he took on a more serious stance before he beckoned the remaining two symbols closer to him, only to touch each of them very briefly while he mentioned something inaudible. This was immediately followed by him directing both symbols towards Hiroya's barrier at great speeds, the second following the first with a short delay - Hiroya was puzzled as to what his opponent had done but he realized it the moment the first symbol struck his barrier; a burst of electricity followed the initial impact and the barrier; previously weakened by the previous magical attacks shattered instantly by the force of the combination of Ekitai Kinko and Hado #11 Tsuzuri Raiden - who the opposing spellcaster had used to drastically increase the attack power of the first symbol by combining lightning with the leading properties of water, Hiroya made a mental note to study the art of combining Kidō much more closely if he ever got out of this predicament alive, which given the skill of his adversary seemed somewhat unlikely. Hiroya didn't have time to ponder this over much more before the second symbol flew towards his unprotected self and Hiroya was forced to defend himself by blocking the symbol with his left arm - which was hardly wise at all: an intense jolt of pain shot up from his hand all the way up to his shoulder before his entire left arm went limp and numb instantly - the electric currents having concided with the water to put his arm in a temporary paralyzis. The paralyzis would expire in roughly ten minutes or so, but at that time Ekitai Kinko's actual effect would set in and his arm would be out of use for roughly one full hour "Good going, Hiroya, your foolishness has just cut your chances of surrival in half" Hiroya muttered sarcastically to himself. He had no time to further wallow in his own self-pity before the cloaked man directed a finger at him and, without even muttering a single word released a burst of white force that slammed directly onto Hiroya's chest and knocked him flat on his back; the impact itself forcefully knocking all the air out of his lungs - as the opponent had already conjured forth a ball of churning dark energies which Hiroya just barely recognized as Soudai no Rakka Boshi although in his present condition the level of the spell escaped his mind. Throwing the sphere of twisted energy his opponent immediately followed up with another spell as he spoke loudly once more "Bakudo #63 Sajo Sabaku!" thick golden chains sprung from his sleeves and shot past the still airborne Hado spell released before it surges towards Hiroya's stunned figure. The latter in an act of futile desperation grabbed the item closest to himself and attempted to use it as a shield; his eyes closed and his mind silently praying that it would trough some miracle hold the two powerful spells off - to Hiroya's immense surprise however, it did! The Shinigami slowly opened his eyes to see that a powerful energy barrier had pre-emptively erected itself to deflect the attacks, Hiroya simply sat there pale as a corpse and wondered what the hell was going on before he actually caught glimpse of what he was actually holding; it was the codex that he had read before, and it was glimmering? This was followed by a few additional moments of awkward silence before Hiroya finally understood what had happened: The Codex is a very rare book, and it along with most of the other books stored here is virtually irreplacable! The Kido Corps must've placed some powerful protective enchantments on it incase a fight should erupt in the Library - the barriers are set to activate if any attack comitted by any individual threatens to harm the tome! Suddenly feeling a lot more confident, Hiroya decided to use the book as a shield in order to protect against the opponents powerful spells, perhaps abit too confidently Hiroya spoke "So then, pal what are you going to do no-" Hiroya's sentence was once again cut short as his opponent made a casual flick with his wrist as another burst of white force slammed into the first-mentioned braggarts right shoulder with pinpoint precision, eliciting a resigned "Oh, bollocks" - followed by another jolt of pain and an involuntary muscle-contraction that caused Hiroya to throw away the book in his hand; and by extension his only means of protection. Hiroya stumbled backwards by the force and watched in horror as the Kido Corps member conjured a globe of searing heat inbetween his palms before hurling the globe towards Hiroya, followed by the spells name and number "Hado 34 Kongōbaku!" the previously small globe of flame expanded into a molten boulder of wildfire in but an instant as the huge ball of fire rolled out towards Hiroya; and even as it did, Hiroya knew, that if the spell was allowed to connect he would most certainly die! In the desperation of a man who knows that he is about to die - Hiroya cast the first spell that came to mind which was ranked higher than 34 "Hado #54 Haien!" A bolt of purple fire was procured from Hiroya's palm - piercing clean trough the fiery boulder and causing it to disipate harmlessly out to either side. The opponent, self-assured of his eminent victory had dropped his guard completely and when he noticed the spell it was much too late indeed; shielding himself from the flames with his arms just as Hiroya himself had done earlier: but Haien knew no mercy and even as he cried out in fear the purple flames expanded and engulfed him as it like a hungry beast prepared to devour him, then his screams abruptly stopped and the flames subsided; revealing that it had consumed everything save for his head, the left portion of his torso and the attached arm - all three articles burned beyond recognition. Hiroya stood frozen in place - this, could simply not have happened it had to be a bad dream it had to be! A plethora of different emotions threatened to overwhelm the young Shinigami, ranging from intense feelings of guilt and anguish, anger at the situation and himself and somewhere in the deepest recesses of his soul, pride, at having defeated an opponent much more experienced than himself. Even before he could decide on which emotion to go with, or indeed before he even realized it; tears had began to form trails down his cheeks. Hiroya ignored them as he grabbed the Codex and held it in his armpit, re-wove the Kyokko enchantment around himself before he made a sudden dash towards the edge of the third floor, letting himself slip past it and fall down towards the first floor of the library - and while he neared the ground hastily cast a weak version of Tenran in order to slow down the fall to the degree that he wouldn't be hurt. Hiroya then hurried out of the entrance and narrowly slipped past several students and instructors who had been informed of the ruckus in the third floor of the Library, luckily his footsteps were masked by the intervining sounds of other footsteps, loud voices and in some cases agitated outbursts that emanated from the gathered crowd; and thus allowed Hiroya to get back to his dorms in one piece and with hardly any trouble at all.